


on the radio (proper fairy-tale stuff)

by jeyhawk



Category: One Direction (Band), Radio 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-27
Updated: 2014-02-27
Packaged: 2018-01-14 00:27:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1245874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeyhawk/pseuds/jeyhawk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. The one where Harry borrows a Radio 1 studio for an hour in order to woo Nick live on air.</p>
            </blockquote>





	on the radio (proper fairy-tale stuff)

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to [rivers_bend](http://archiveofourown.org/users/rivers_bend) for the beta. You're amazing. :D 
> 
> This is actually a thing they are doing for Access All Areas, random listeners get to borrow a studio for an hour to do whatever. They mentioned on the show that someone was going to use their hour to convince Greg James to go to dinner with them and this silly idea was spawned. (Pretty sure it's not broadcast live though but _details_.)

Nick isn't going to listen live, he's not even supposed to be in the building, but he accidentally catches the first five minutes and then he can't leave. 

"He's quite good, isn't he?" Fiona pulls her headphones down and raises her eyebrows at Nick. 

"I suppose." Nick orders his cheeks to not flush. They don't listen. "Speaks a bit too leisurely for radio though." 

"I like it." Matt grins. "Nice break from your Kalashnikov approach to presenting." 

"Oh fuck you." 

It's embarrassing, Nick thinks, that he's hiding in his studio, with his team, with the blinds drawn, hours after he was supposed to leave, listening to a twenty-year-old child trying to woo him live on radio. 

"I wonder what he looks like." Fiona cranes her neck as if she has suddenly developed x-ray vision and will be able to see through the walls and into the studio where Harry Styles, 20, originally from Cheshire, is broadcasting. 

"He's fit." Matt shrugs when they turn to stare at him. "I met him when he came in to have a look around." 

"Fit like, wouldn't kick him out of bed after three drinks, or fit like, I'd have him stone cold sober?" 

Matt crinkles his nose. "The latter I reckon. You'd definitely have him stone cold sober." He's probably lying. Nick doesn't feel that way about a lot of people. He prefers for his sexual encounters to have a bit of a fuzzy edge. 

"Shhhh, he's back on." Fiona pulls her headphones up and glares at them. 

"So that was Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne with Rather Be, followed by Bombay Bicycle Club with Luna here on Radio 1, and I'm Harry Styles, who's borrowing this studio for an hour to offer myself as a tribute at the feet of Breakfast Show presenter Nick Grimshaw. We've been getting a lot of texts asking if Grimmy is in fact listening and to that I'm afraid I'll have to answer, no idea. He might be. He might not. He mentioned on The Breakfast Show this morning that he would be busy this afternoon, but I'm pretty sure he'll hear it eventually. If nothing else, his team will probably clip it up and use it to mock him forever. So, uhm, sorry about that, Grimmy. Have another song." 

Nick pulls his earphones down to rest around his neck and is definitely blushing now. Harry just has this voice that gets to him, slow like dripping honey and sweet like a fine wine, a little rough, little dirty, flirty like. 

"Oh you got it baaaad." Fiona sticks her tongue out at him. "Want me to run over there and get a picture?" 

" _NO._ " 

"Oh, you so doooo." Matt laughs obnoxiously. "Nick and Harry sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G." 

"I hate you both." Nick's cheeks are flaming now. This is terrible. They are terrible. Everyone is terrible. 

His phone keeps lighting up with texts from people who are listening, and the general consensus among his friends seems to be he should do a mad dash through the building to throw himself at Harry. 

_Three_ of his terrible friends helpfully wrote down Harry's list of Top Ten Nick Grimshaw Features and have been texting it to him nonstop for the past half hour with increasingly dirty commentary. He needs new friends. 

His phone buzzes with another text from Collette. This one simply says: _What have you got to lose?_

He texts back, _my dignity_ , but he supposes she's right; he doesn't actually have anything to lose by giving Harry a chance, since his dignity has been in tatters for years. He pulls his headphones off. 

"Oh my god, you're going over there." Matt's eyes are shining. "He's going to have a fit." 

"Go for it, Grimmy." Fiona gives him two thumbs up. "Want us to come?" 

"Absolutely not." Nick glares at them in turn. "You stay here." 

They probably won't, but he likes to pretend his team does his bidding occasionally and this would be such a good opportunity for them to start. 

"Okay," he says, squaring his shoulders and steeling himself. "Here it goes." 

Fiona makes a high pitched little noise and Matt claps his hands excitedly. Nick slips out through the door. 

\--

Nick has never in his life felt so exposed walking through the office; everyone seems to be watching him, and even Jenna, the cleaning lady who usually just growls at him not to make a mess, gives him a subtle gesture of encouragement, grinning sunnily. _Embarrassing._

Harry's borrowed studio is at the very back of the building, but no building is big enough that the walk should take as long as this one has, Nick reckons. It's like he's walking through a swamp of well-meaning encouragement and utter embarrassment. Finally, he's there, right outside the brightly lit studio, and he gets his first look at Harry Styles. 

Matt Fincham was not lying. He was not lying even a little bit, because Harry Styles is a golden sex god. With a bandana wrapped around his head and his shirt unbuttoned far enough for Nick to glimpse the tattoos on his chest, he looks like the dashing hero of a pirate romance novel. He is so fit. He is so so fit. He could be a fucking model, but instead he apparently works in a bakery and spends his free time trying to woo Nick on the radio. _Shit._

Harry's talking, and Nick can see his sweetly curved, darling pink lips moving. He's a bit flushed, Nick thinks, colour blooming across his cheeks and dotting his neck. He's so lovely Nick might die. 

Then Harry looks up, startling green eyes locking onto Nick's, and Nick forgets how to breathe for a moment. By the look of it, Harry does too. Then Harry breaks eye contact, visibly shakes himself and says something into the microphone. He's definitely blushing now, colour spreading all the way down to his chest. He darts a glance at Nick and blushes even harder. Nick wiggles his fingers in a wave and grins. Harry actually smacks his forehead against the edge of the table. It's amazing. 

Then Harry's link must be over because he jerks himself upright and pulls the earphones off, pushing up from the chair. Alanna, who's acting as Harry's producer, says something that makes Harry nod vigorously while holding five fingers up for Nick under the table. They have five minutes then. Great. 

Moments later Harry tumbles out into the hallway--and it is a tumble, long legs going everywhere and arms flailing. He straightens himself up, still blushing, and says, "Uhm… hi." 

"Hi," Nick parrots, grinning now, because this is actually quite fun. 

"I… uh… so… you've been listening?" Harry sounds a bit squeaky, but still lovely. Very lovely. 

"Yup," Nick confirms. 

"Errr… that's… So what did you think?"

Harry's paired skinny jeans with the shirt gaping open across his chest and Nick can't stop staring because _hello_ , would do stone cold sober at eight am on a Sunday. Nick thinks there are actual washboard abs hiding beneath the haphazard tuck of Harry's shirt, and Nick's no stranger to fit people but _seriously_.

"It's been great. Probably one of the best shows ever broadcast on Radio 1. The top ten was especially inspired." Nick deliberately flexes his fingers, since his hands came in third beneath laugh and smile, and it's amazing how the slight movement draws Harry's eyes. 

Alanna taps on the glass, holding up two fingers. 

"You better finish the show," Nick says. "Tell the nation you won the grand prize of a date with Nick Grimshaw." 

"Yeah?" Harry sounds breathlessly hopeful and his grin does strange things to Nick's heart. 

"Yeah," Nick confirms. "I'm rubbish at dates though so don't expect too much." 

Harry licks his lips and drops his eyes to Nick's mouth for a moment. "I'm sure you'll do fine," he says, and _god_ , his voice is all gravel, going straight to Nick's dick. 

Alanna taps the glass frantically, and with one last cheeky grin Harry dashes back into the studio and throws himself into the rolling chair, pulling the headphones on as he starts speaking excitedly. Nick watches him talk, Harry's hands waving a counterpoint to his words, and he looks as if someone just offered him the moon. Nick's chest does that thing where he feels helplessly fond. He tries to catch the emotion before it broadcasts on his face, but fails. Alanna winks at him. It’s terrible. 

"This will be one for the story books," Zane Lowe says suddenly, nearly startling Nick out of his skin. 

"Shut up," Nick groans, but he can't help his dumb smile or the little voice at the back of his mind going, _maybe_. 

"He seems like a good lad," Zane continues, putting a hand on Nick's shoulder and squeezing. "Have fun." 

"I will," Nick mutters, flushing brightly because it's Zane and Nick really likes him and it means a lot, somehow, that Zane's not mocking him. 

Then Harry's back, bright eyed and a bit nervous looking, eyeing Zane as if he expects to be lectured. "All done," he says. 

"Good." Nick did have things he was supposed to do this afternoon, he didn't lie on the radio this morning, but they all seem incredibly insignificant compared to the curly-haired boy standing in front of him. "Coffee?" 

"Would love some," Harry breathes and they both ignore Zane's laugh in favour of smiling ridiculously at each other. Harry has dimples, Nick is doomed. 

"Go on you two," Zane says, giving Nick a little shove. "Get out of here before you give the rest of us diabetes." 

"Shut up," Nick whines again but Zane just laughs, giving him another shove. 

Harry holds his hand out and Nick doesn't even hesitate before taking it and using his grip to pull Harry towards the elevators. Everywhere around them people are catcalling and laughing, and/or praising Harry's show, and Nick's pretty sure they're both blushing crimson but he's not going to stop for long enough to actually look. 

Harry squeezes Nick's fingers hard and laughs a little bit hysterically as if he just lost the plot of his life. Nick kind of feels the same way, hanging onto Harry's hand for dear life, and ignoring all the familiar faces vying for his attention as they plough through the office. It’s forever before they're finally in the elevator and the doors slide shut on the mayhem. 

"So that was a thing that happened," Harry says, looking shell-shocked and like he might crumble if Nick lets go of his hand. Nick doesn't let go of his hand. 

"Yeah," Nick says, grinning foolishly at the elevator wall. "It was." 

"It'll be a nice story to tell the grandkids." Harry squeezes Nick's fingers and bites down on his lower lip. "Proper fairy-tale stuff." 

And Nick doesn't like to think too much about the future, about where it might lead and where he'll be, but it's really not that hard to imagine being there and doing whatever with this bright-eyed boy who just wooed him live on radio. 

"Maybe we should see how this date goes before we start planning the wedding," he says weakly, but he's already tugging Harry in closer.

"Summer wedding in the country, three kids, maybe four," Harry murmurs, tilting his head back to grin up at Nick. "Nice big house full of laughter. Friends and family coming and going as they please. Huge kitchen." 

Nick laughs hoarsely, completely charmed. "I do believe you're cashew, Harry Styles," he breathes. 

"And you're still going to kiss me." 

Nick can't resist Harry's grin, so he does, so thoroughly that they miss the doors opening at the bottom floor and end up back on the eighth where the doors open a second time on them snogging like horny teenagers, much to the amusement of everyone Nick has ever known. 

(Matt and FiFi get pictures, and though Nick convinces them not to tweet them, they do text them to all of Nick's friends. The story is told and retold on every Radio 1 show for weeks and then brought back again, this time with a tweeted picture of their very first kiss, for Nick and Harry's wedding the following summer. They have four kids and live disgustingly happy ever after.)

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr as [becominghawk](http://becominghawk.tumblr.com/). :)


End file.
